Despite the well-worn saying, the customer isn't always right — but, nonetheless, most restaurants will try to accommodate even the most difficult diners. Sometimes customer requests come from dietary restrictions, sometimes diners are just downright high maintenance. San Antonio food pros shared with us stories about unusual customer requests that were funny and oddly heartwarming.

Nick Mason, chef and owner of Tank's Pizza, 1917 N. New Braunfels Ave.: “We had a lady dine in and she was watching her figure. She requested a pizza with no dough or cheese. We smiled and said, 'Sure, no problem.' You can't say it was pizza but she was happy and that's what matters.”

Lico Rios, server at Bliss, 926 S. Presa St., remembered years ago when he was working at an unnamed hotel on the River Walk. A woman wanted a glass of white zinfandel (a sweet pink wine that generally doesn't pair well with complex flavors and which the restaurant didn't carry) and began getting upset. Rios turned to a co-worker, who offered a suggestion.

“(He) gets a glass and fills it up with chardonnay, gets a packet of Sweet 'N Low, taps it, adds a splash of grenadine, stirs it and says, 'Take it to her.' I go over to her and say, 'Ma'am, here's your white zinfandel,'” Rios said. “She gets it. 'Oh, this is delicious! This is what I wanted,' (then) she asks, 'Where is this from?' I say, 'It's from California.' She says, 'This is delicious! Thank you so much!' She was happy.”

Jason Dady, chef and owner of Umai Mi, 555 W. Bitters Road, Two Bros BBQ Market, 12656 West Ave., and two locations of Tre Trattoria at 4003 Broadway and 401 S. Alamo St.: “The one I always remember clearly was at (his former restaurant) The Lodge. A gentleman said 'I don't eat anything out of a bowl except for soup or cereal and this ain't either.' It was a grouper dish served in a large bistro bowl with a broth. We plated the dish on a plate with no sauce and he ate every single bite.”

David Gilbert, chef and co-owner of Tuk Tuk Tap Room, 1702 Broadway, recounted the time when he worked at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas and chartered a helicopter for a guest. “He said, 'We would like to go to the British Virgin Islands, we'd like to go by helicopter in the next two hours, and we'd like a chef to go in the helicopter and cook meals for the family.' I arranged for transport with one of the chefs and off they went. They didn't bat an eye or question how much. It's not about the money when you ask for things like that.”

Blanca Aldaco, owner of Aldaco's Stone Oak, 20079 Stone Oak Parkway and Aldaco's, 100 Hoefgen Ave., told of a couple who had divorced and resumed their romance. They were on a date and were at the bar. “The ex-wife decided to propose to the ex-husband and asked to reserve a table on the patio by the fountain as soon as it became available so she could propose to him at the same table he had proposed to her five years ago.” The couple sitting there had long ago finished their dinner, so Aldaco went over, shared the situation and offered them a drink. The couple at the table moved. With the patio table open, the proposal proceeded. They are to marry in March in Cancún.

Tim Bieker, general manager at Paesanos Lincoln Heights, 555 E. Basse Road: “This elderly lady came in with her daughter and thought she was going to a Mexican restaurant. Her daughter apologized for her because she had Alzheimer's. I asked her mom what it was she wanted and she said a chile relleno. Turns out we have all the ingredients, so we made it. Her daughter couldn't thank us enough.”

Lico Rios also remembered a time when he worked at Silo, 1133 Austin Highway, and a grumpy man in a group didn't like the desserts and said he just wanted an Oreo.

“So I went across the street to the Valero, got this man his Oreo, brought it back to the pastry chef and said, 'Fancy this sucker up.' We put it on a nice plate,” Rios said. “Sure enough, everybody ordered dessert, he's sitting there with a crabby look on his face and I said, “... and for you, sir,' and I put it down and it was a plate with whipped cream and an Oreo in the middle, and he said. “Oh my God! Oh my God!' He became a lot more fun. It cost me $1.25 to run over to the Valero. It's those little things you do that make a difference. And that man will always remember that.”